1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to a clip suitable for providing a compressive force to a series of stacked components. More particularly, the present invention relates to a clip for providing a compressive force to a heat sink and a heat generating component in contact therewith.
2. Description of the Related Art
Heat sinks are widely used in the electronics industry and particularly in connection with electronic components such as integrated circuits ("ICs") and microchips which produce unwanted thermal energy or heat as a byproduct of standard operation. The generated heat adversely affects the operation of such components, and heat sinks are used to absorb, channel away and dissipate the heat produced from such components. To accomplish this task, thermal contact is required between the heat generating component and the heat sink. To maintain such contact, securing devices such as clips are typically used for engaging the heat sink and electronic component and maintaining physical and thermal contact therebetween.
One such clip is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,712,159 (Clemens) which discloses a heat sink clip assembly having a retention member and a spring member. The clip assembly is employed in an alternating stacked arrangement, wherein the components of the assembly (the retention member and the spring member) are interleaved with the IC and heat sink such that the IC is sandwiched between the retention member and spring member, and the heat sink is placed over the spring member.
The clip assembly of Clemens has several drawbacks. In particular, placement of the heat sink over the spring member requires modification of the spring member to provide physical contact between the heat sink and IC. To accomplish this, the spring member is designed having a center cavity or pass-through which accommodates insertion of a portion of a heat sink base to provide for engagement with the IC. Also, the retention member must be specifically dimensioned for accommodating a particular IC so that the retention member can also engage the spring member when the IC is placed therebetween in an intended manner. Furthermore, the placement of the IC between the spring member and retention member, with the heat sink fitted thereover as described in Clemens renders replacement of a damaged or inoperative IC cumbersome because, the spring member must be detached and separated from the retention member and the heat sink removed to gain access to and replace the damaged IC.
Accordingly, there is a need for a spring clip assembly design which provides thermal and physical contact between a heat sink and IC and which is easy to assembly and disassemble for allowing replacement of damaged or inoperative ICs.